December 7

Joseph was a picture of the Redeemer, but more so Judah, when he offered himself as ransom for Benjamin. The Messianic line runs through Judah.

Regular & Late Start Plan

Proverbs 29:13-14

Genesis 44-45

A meditation:

God worked a redemption in Joseph’s life. He learned humility, faith, and endurance by the things that he suffered so that he did not hold against his brothers the evil that they committed against him. (These men were not nice men, for jealousy and murder was in their hearts, and they sold Joseph into slavery. Further, they still continued the mindset of hating and arguing with each other.) However, God cared for Joseph, melting his heart, and he responded with kindness in caring for the clan of Israel who had rejected him. He did not return evil for evil upon those who should have been his loving brothers but acted as enemies. Joseph, by faith, recognized the good that God was doing, and in Genesis 50, said to his brothers “As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”  Grace and forgiveness won out. The clan of Israel was saved from the famine and the table was set for the flourishing of the people and the exodus. However it was Judah, who despite his whoring and the other things that he did, had faith that caused him to offer himself as a ransom for Benjamin. Thus, Jesus is the greater Joseph, who did not return evil for evil, and he also was the greater Judah, who offered himself as a ransom for many.